The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-31
MORE FACTS FROM THE RECORD.
The Means by Which the Senate Tried to
Have an Official Stenographer.

lave an Umc1al Sten0grapnef.
The Democratic Senators will insist that a
Senate stenographer can be created by simple
resolution. 1t will be their purpose to outline a
defense by citing presidents in the appointment
of men to do special service, such as in account
ing, reporting committee investigations and the
like. But, az vet, they are willing to go no fur
Their, since their right to pay the stenographer
out of appropriation for the expenses Of
General Assembly would be confined to work
done for current session-not one of the past
or future Otherwise it would require specific
appropriation. which. Of course, could not be
made without the consent of both houses. This
principle of parliamentary proceeding was set
tied by the Democr ats themselves in the last
Senate W. H. DRAPER reported the proceed
ines of the General Assembly Of 1855 under pre-
cisely the same circumstances relative to-
remuneration which attended his BREWER Re-
ports of the session of 1883, for which the
Supreme Court has eaid the State is not
responsible, as the Senate could not provide for
paying him for this service without a con-
current resolution. Early in the session
of the last Senate he had resolution. in tenor
and form similar to those introduced in his be-
half in every Legislature for the past twenty
nine years. presented. It was to compensate
him for reporting the General Assembly pro-
ceedings of 1885. 1t was not concurrent prop
ostion, but simple Senate resolution. On mo-
ton, it went to the finance committee who re-
ported it back to the Senate in the bill appropri-
atng money for the expenses of the General As
sembly of 1887. Senator Fowler said this could
not be done, except by specific appropriation
as the expenses of the General Assembly could
not be paid out of the appropriation for another.
then current AS no resolution OF the kind had
been offered in the House, and there being
effort to make the Senate proposition concur
rent, the Fowler objection virtually settled. 1t
was thought, the DRAPER claim as far as sim
pie Senate resolution to pay the expenses OF one
General Assembly out of the money designated
for another was concerned
But DRAPER continued the work in both houses
for the session of 1887 and his friends in the
Senate did not again ATTEMPT to give him def
mite recognition until the House refused to recog-
nizs the Senate. The day succeeding that event
Senator Me Donald, Of AlleE an9 Whitley. in.
troduced a bill reciting that "inasmuch as Will
lam H. DRAPER has acted such stenographic
reporter for the last twenty nine years. be here
by elected State legislative stenographer. to
serve SO long as he shall Faithfully discharge the
duties of the Office, and compensation for
such services the Auditor of State shall issue
warrants on the State treasury, payable out OF
any moneys not otherwise appropriated, for
what may be due him for the number
II, 750) of copies of Brewer Legislative Reports,
at the same price heretofore paid. two thirds of
a cent per page per copy, as has been uniformly
allowed and paid TO him by the State for said
reports since 1867 and for years before, under
resolutions and acts in exact and identical words
as to price and number of copies"
The said section authorized the Bureau OF Pub
lie Printing to have said reports bound as here
tofore by the State, and the stenoerapher was
directed to forward ten t10l copies to each mem
Der of the General Assembly as as possible.
The bill was Ingeniously contrIved to have q re-
-,
that the Supreme Court denied him under a sim
pie resolution of the Senate. It went to the
committee on finance Feb. 26, and came back
to the Senate with a recommendation for its
passage March l. All this time there was no
possibility Of its reaching the House, even If
the Senate had passed it, and as the days of the
General Assembly drew to a close Senator Nc
Donald, his Democratic colleagues coiuciding
with him, thought that rather than have DRAPER
end his work without some show of official
recognition introduced simple Senate resolu-
| ton Of the purport conveyed in the bill. No
action whatever was taken in the House in this
ID after and it supposed that Drapier will seek
| payment at the next General Assembly. rs he
| has done for years past, basing his claim on a
| Senate resolution OF no force whatever. AS has
been held by the Supreme Court 1t was this
| ''stenographer of the Senate" for whom station
| erv was drawn by Green Smith.
| On the first day of the last Senate Senator
| Schloss introduced a resolution which read:
Resolved That thePrincipa Secretary of the Senate
shs make all acquisitions upon the commissioners OF
the public printing and binding, for all stationery
ordered needed for the of the Senate but be-
fore the of any stationery by the Secre-
tary he shall first procure the signature requi
sition made by him of the President of thu Senate,
and that any stationery ordered by such Secreta ry
without the signature of the President Of the Senate
/ shall be deemed unauthorized.
| Although this resolution was adonted. not
| requisition for stationery during the entire ses
sion of the Senate was seen by the commission
| ers named. They had no coenizance of any
/ voucher whatever for Senate stationery until
| the General Assembly had adjourned.